WHO are the kings in Old Testament?

Answer 1

A:Cyrus the Great, mentioned in the Book of Isaiah as having defeated the Babylonians and in the Books of 2 Chronicles and Ezra as having ordered the reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple, freed Persia from rule by the Medes, whom he then incorporated into his kingdom, then ruled Persia approximately 560-530 BCE.

Darius I is described in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah as the king of Persia, which is true but he was also a Mede. Bardia had usurped the throne of King Cambyses, successor to Cyrus, and Darius, an ethnic Mede and a commander in the Persian army, overthrew Bardia. He ruled from 522 to 486 BCE.

Artaxerxes, mentioned in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, was the son of Xerxes I and grandson of Darius. He ruled Persia from 465 to 424 BCE. Nehemiah refers to him as king of Babylon, which merely reflects the fact that the Persian kings had moved their court to Babylon.

The Book of Daniel describes Cyrus as a successor to Darius, but this is clearly incorrect. The author of Daniel simply did not have a clear understanding of what was to him already ancient history.

King Ahasuerus is mentioned in the Book of Esther and seems intended to be King Xerxes I, who ruled 486 to 465 BCE. The problem with this attribution is that the Book of Esther says that in the third year of his reign, the king divorced Queen Vashti and soon afterwards married Esther. Xerxes is known to have been married to Queen Amestris for the entire time portrayed in the story of Esther, and to have had no other queen during this time. Xerxes II can not have been the intended king, as he reigned for only a few months in 424 BCE. Once again, the error is explained by the fact that the author did not have a clear understanding of what was to him already ancient history.

Answer 2

In the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), here are the kings who reigned:

1) The United Kingdom: the kings were Saul, David, Solomon.
2) The kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom): Rehav'am (Rehoboam), Aviyah (Abijah), Asa, Yehoshaphat (Jehoshaphat), Yehoram (Jehoram), Ahaziah, queen Athaliah, Yehoash (Jehoash), Amatziah (Amaziah), Uzziah, Yotam (Jotham), Ahaz, Hizkiah (Hezekiah), Menasheh (Manasseh), Amon, Yoshiah (Josiah), Yehoahaz (Jehoahaz), Yehoyakim (Jehoiakim), Yehoyachin (Jehoiachin, a.k.a. Jeconiah), Tzidkiah (Zedekiah).
3) The kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom; Samaria): Yerav'am (Jeroboam), Nadav (Nadab), Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ah'av (Ahab), Ahaziah, Yoram (Joram), Yehu (Jehu), Yehoahaz (Jehoahaz), Yehoash (Jehoash), Yerav'am (Jeroboam II), Zachariah, Shallum, Menachem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea.